"She's Out of My League"--the Movie

The movie, "She's Out of My League" was released this week.  While some of its language is raw, the basic concept is worth observing.  Kirk (Jay Baruchel) has several male friends who he works with at an airport.  They provide him with advice that "keeps him in his place" (even though he really doesn't fit with the picture they paint of him).  He does a favor for Molly (Alice Eve) and, contrary to everyone's expectations--including his own--she likes him and they start dating.

The male friends talk about a rating system with "10" as the top number.  (See the movie 10 directed by Blake Edwards.).  Molly is a "solid 10" and Kirk is rated by his friends as a "5."  There is also talk about a lower number not being able to date a number much higher than his or her own.

In the film, that rating system is shown to be totally false and people who find something to love in another person can do so.  Everyone is a "10" and the rating system seems to keep people doubting their own self-esteem rather than recognizing their own values, especially as seen through the eyes of someone who cares about them.

The movie has lots of comic scenes and the ending is very positive.  It's good to remember as we age that we are still "10's" for ourselves and others.

Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day--Phil, the "nation's groundhog" saw his shadow today--six more weeks of winter.  The groundhog at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago didn't see his shadow--too much snow today.  That may mean an early Spring for Chicago.

I celebrate the day by watching the Groundhog Day movie.

Serendipity--Synchronicity--Synergy, Interconnectedness of Coincidences

Serendipity reflects the interconnectedness between seemingly random coincidences.  Synchronicity relates to the timing of the events and suggests that they are unlikely to occur together by chance. Both of these concepts tie into the "First Insight" in James Redfield's novel, Celestine Prophecy, and film.  Serendipity is also the theme of a romantic movie. 

Our lives have amazing interconnectedness.  When we experience seemingly random coincidences and connections, it is important to be open to explore the possibilities of both serendipity and synergy.

As we are more and more aware, no one exists in a vacuum.  Our lives touch each other--often in ways we do not consciously understand.  In the concept of chaos theory, the beating of wings of butterflies off the coast of Africa can produce hurricanes that hit the East coast of the United States. 

To bring serendipity and connection to the forefront, it is often important to talk with others about what is happening.  In two separate instances this week, I mentioned what I was doing with companies in two different cities and people who work out at the Delnor Wellness Center came forward and said that they, too, were connected with these companies.

Becoming aware of the synchronicity of events relies to tuning into both the interrelatedness of the events and the timing of the events.

Happy New Year 2010!!--and a look ahead with the Avatar movie

Happy New Year 2010!!

The "balls have dropped" (or the fireworks have gone up)--whatever way people celebrate the new year on January 1st, it's happened.  There was lots of celebrating (according to the media photos on television from around the world).

One of the special things about this New Years is that we have a blue moon--the second full moon in a month (the month of December).  This happens rarely and the next occurence at this time of year is projected for 2028.

People have already come forward with their prophecies of better times in 2010 for jobs, for the economy, and for many other areas.

I went to the Delnor Wellness Center this morning and, while there were fewer people than usual, many people were beginning their new year by doing something healthy--me, too, aqua pilates.

I've already needed to open new 2010 folders on my computer for eCommerce and for other activities and have set aside a new storage bin for 2010 receipts, along with putting up the 2010 calendars, all the traditional things needed for the first day of a new year.

An "old wives tale" I remember from childhood is to track the weather (highs, lows, clouds, sun, wind, etc) the first twelve days of the year--as indicators of what those months will be.  While the temperatures will not be exact, a cold day on the sixth of January could mean a cooler month in June.  Clouds and precipitation may also be good indicators except that July in my part of the world probably won't include any snow.

I saw the movie Avatar in 3D today.  It's an amazing movie, heralded as a breakthrough in film-making that sets the stage for whole new experiences.  The movie was amazing and reminded me of Star Wars, though it also has reminders of Medicine Man and Dances with Wolves.  George Lucas' companies were involved in Avatar, along with many more creative people.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and can only imagine what it would be like in 3D at an iMax movie theatre.

Many elements of the book reminded me of concepts I recently came across in a series of books by Robin Hobb,  Forest Mage, Shaman's Crossing, and Renegade's Magic.  The attitudes of the warriors toward the forest people, called specks due to the unique markings on their skin, is similar of the attitudes of the terrans toward the natives of Pandora.  The bonding of souls to the heart of the forest mother is also similar, especially in Renegade's Magic. 

The force in Star Wars was throughout the universe and the mother force behind the tree of souls in Avatar is seen to be exclusively of the planet Pandora.  Even so, the concepts capture the imagination.  

What is interesting about Avatar is that the movie taps into many historical themes in our world culture and, while taking the polarities to extremes to show the drama, much of what is contained in the movie shows "how things work today" in many parts of the world (though not all of the technology).  Even the technology depicted as fully functional in the movie has been heard of in our time.  It will be amazing to see what influence Avatar may have on film-making, technology development, and human progress over the next decade. 

Watching this movie was a great way to begin the new year.